Pristine and otherworldly, the Galapagos Islands, like most remote destinations, is no budget backpacker destination. Well-heeled tourists will easily sink a couple grand on the islands between flights, hotels, tours, and cruises (not to mention the exorbitantly overpriced food). I decided not to visit several times fearing I was priced out. When I finally did [...]

With its chronic drug wars simmering down and the FARC insurgency disbanded, Colombia’s dark days of endemic violence are finally over. Does that mean Colombia is safe to visit now? Judging purely by the statistics, Colombia is still one of the most violent countries on the planet. Even so, the majority of travelers will not find [...]

International travel is much more affordable than you think. If you are like most Americans, you overestimate the cost of international airfare because you assume it must be more expensive than domestic flights. As counterintuitive as it may sound, however, the recent expansion of international budget airlines have made flying to Europe cheaper than flying between most [...]